All we like sheep
Sheep – an important export from NZ, first for meat and coarse wool and now also for merino. And in COVID…we are expected to behave like sheep and herd well. Cultures vary in the ‘sheepishness’. How sheeply are New Zealanders?
Tag: 2020 April
A breath of fresh air
Where has the New Zealand COVID experiment got to in the last 5 weeks? In comparison to China, or Sweden, we’re looking pretty good. Which is why we are moving from Alert Level 4 to Level 3 for the next 2 weeks.
Money machines
To me, debt is the antithesis of of freedom. I have continued to believe this, despite the advice that the best way to create wealth is by borrowing money. Our government obviously believes in using quantitative easing to create honds worth $25B, around 1/8 of our 2019 GDP, which it will sell to the market.
Needing a drink of water
I would like to talk to some non-bubble members in person just like I wanted a glass of iced water while cycling through the desert in Tajikistan. Electronic communications just don’t seem to provide the same drinking experience.
Excess mortality
How many more people are dying because of COVID than would have died anyway? Would the majority of COVID deaths have occurred reasonably soon because the infected people were ill or elderly? How much resource do we put into people close to death? The point at which one is allowed to die rather than being treated is not discussed enough in society and needs more debate.
Dancing to the music
Business people are weighing in on what the government should do to fix the likely economic hole post COVID, including suggesting tourism by rich people and selling desirable sections at $5 million each. While ‘Hey Big Spender’ made me feel good today, I’m not sure it’s the answer to potential economic woes.
Social pushmi-pullyus
Humans are pushmi-pullyus – we are physical individuals who exist in social structures. My worst fears of the post-pandemic world are how physical distancing may result in negative societal shifts.
Illusions of normality
Humans are more adaptable than they think they are. When travelling, wherever I am, what’s happening quickly starts to seem normal. This makes sense as living in a constant state of stress would be impossible. Will COVID start to feel normal soon?
Touring a disaster zone
I took a tour around closed-for-COVID Queenstown, normally a humming hub of tourism. Here is what I saw…
Still holding…
We are still holding our breaths but the Ardern & Bloomfield Show tomorrow will tell us whether we will be stepping down from Level 4. What do you pick? What do I pick? I’ve looked up the factors that are likely to be taken into account.